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Don't fool yourself in thinking you're more than you are.

Monday walk. I am way into the smoke trees

Today I woke up feeling pretty clear. A lot of good stuff happened yesterday, too long to explain, just excellent interactions with random strangers. People have stories to tell here.

I was thinking the other day about the difference between Seattle and Portland. Hands down, Seattle is a prettier city in terms of natural landscape. They've got the Puget sound, and they've got all those mountains everywhere you look, every side, all over the place. Portland just has the backdrop of a city against trees. Trees are cool and all, but mountains kick ass.

But on a street by street, block by block basis, Portland tops Seattle. All the houses have lawns that are violently beautiful jungles, and the foliage spills out over the edges, toward the streets, toward the people. Practically every house is like this, close to the edge of the sidewalk, whereas houses in Seattle are more removed and austere, as if they don't need to bother with flaunting their beauty. It doesn't matter. They've got the mountains.

And maybe this is the difference between the people, too. Portlanders offer themselves up to you, and want to engage, while in Seattle they're cool and self-contained. The difference between dogs and cats. Sometimes I have to look away when they want to meet my eyes. Because I can't quite offer myself back. Yet.

(07/23/08)